Studies on the stability of carotenoids in garland chrysanthemum (Ipomoea spp.) as affected by microwave and conventional heating

Abstract

The effect of microwave and conventional heating on carotenoid stability in garland chrysanthemum was studied. Each cooking treatment was conducted for 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 min with two replications. The various carotenoids were analyzed by highperformance liquid chromatography with photodiode-array detection. Experimental results suggested that microwave cooking could retain more β-carotene and less lutein than conventional cooking when the output power was 180 W. Epoxy-containing carotenoids were more susceptible to heat loss than other carotenoids. Both cis-lutein and cis-β-carotene contents were higher with the increase of heating time. The increase of cis-β-carotene content also implied that the provitamin A activity would decrease.